INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts have a quarterback dilemma, and it’s not one they likely ever expected.

This one has less to do with Andrew Luck and everything to do with Scott Tolzien. He is, after all, the Colts’ starting quarterback until Pro Bowl quarterback Luck returns from offseason shoulder surgery.

Since we don’t know exactly when that’s going to happen — it could be next week or it could be after the start of the regular season — the Colts are left to treat Tolzien as something of a starter in the meantime.

And starting quarterbacks don’t play much in the preseason. But most starting quarterbacks don’t need the playing time as much as Tolzien. He might be just three weeks shy of his 30th birthday, but the fact remains Tolzien has appeared in just nine regular-season games in his seven seasons, with just three starts.

So, what to do?

Give Tolzien the starter treatment in the preseason opener against the Detroit Lions? Or give him more than the requisite one or two offensive series, especially in light of his erratic training camp performance through two weeks?

“We’ll treat him obviously as a starter,” coach Chuck Pagano said before immediately offered a contradictory follow-up. Tolzien “needs to play. All of our guys need to play. We get in our team drills out here, and it’s a little bit sloppy. There’s not a sense of urgency.”

Pagano was referring to his offense as a whole, not just Tolzien. But the point was made: Tolzien needs the work. In the back of his mind, Pagano knows the Colts can’t say with certainty that Luck will play in the Sept. 10 season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Deep down, Pagano knows this critical year in the coach’s Indianapolis career, his first with new General Manager Chris Ballard, might be greatly impacted by his backup (and temporary starting) quarterback.

Thus the dilemma.

It’s possible Tolzien’s flaws are more noticeable because we’ve become so accustomed to watching Luck’s tight and accurate spirals hitting receivers in stride. Here’s some non-breaking news: Scott Tolzien is an inferior quarterback to Andrew Luck.

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Colts young players say there are ready to make their debut this Sunday versus the Lions.
Clark Wade/IndyStar

Maybe that doesn’t need to be said. But it is, perhaps, a needed reminder when trying to assess Tolzien.

It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride in training camp as Tolzien has had good and bad days. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski suggested things might get better as the team nears the regular season.

“It goes from play to play,” Chudzinski said. “We are still in the install phase right now in training camp. During that phase, new things are coming in every day.”

Asked to judge his performance in camp, Tolzien offered an honest answer.

“It’s been hot and cold,” he said. “Shoot, you could say that on just about any day. There’s been good plays and bad plays. You’re just trying to watch the film and minimize the mistakes and capitalize on the things that you (see) in the meeting room. I know that’s the bland answer. But it’s true.”

The good news is Tolzien was steadier on Thursday and Friday during joint practices with the Lions. There’s also evidence that training camp and preseason performance is not the best indicator with Tolzien.

You might recall he started the 2016 preseason opener at Buffalo in place of Luck and had, at best, an uninspiring showing. He completed barely half his pass attempts (12 of 23) and often was way off on his incompletions. He got progressively better over the course of the preseason, but there were still well-founded doubts about Tolzien's ability to perform in the regular season after what he displayed in August 2016.

Yet, when it was time to step in and start for a concussed Luck on Thanksgiving Day, Tolzien did his part and might have had a chance to win were it not for the bushel of dropped passes and major defensive lapses in the loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So, again, there’s no right or wrong decision here. Should the Colts protect Tolzien like teams typically do with their No. 1 quarterback? Or should they throw him out there to continue his needed development?

This is not a discussion you normally have about your “starting” quarterback. But, for now, that’s exactly what Tolzien is to the Colts.